Every now and then, we need to slow down, look inwards, and self-reflect.

The simplest way to define self-reflection is: thinking about YOU. Self-reflection can involve thinking about your…

• Past, present, and future

• Identity and the way it has been influenced by external and internal factors

• Character and actions

New year, new intentions.

Whether you’re looking for a change or want to sharpen your current habits, there is always space to both acknowledge your growth and pivot to progress even more.

It’s that time of the year. Holidays have passed. It’s almost time to get back to work or school. It’s the perfect time for a fresh slate, a new you.

But wait. If we hop into the new year so soon, how can we learn from 2021? The most underrated part of creating goals and resolutions is first reflecting.

A few years ago, I volunteered frequently. The weekend before the world was summoned to shelter-in-place, my peers and I had wrapped up a 9-week program to teach local middle school girls how to code. I didn’t mind giving up weekends and staying up late to prepare, as it was always worth the time and energy as long as the students got something out of the program.

In October 2020, the Opal team launched the Shine a Light On podcast. Over the course of its first year, the podcast has explored a range of academic and career topics, shining a light on career centers, sustainable self-growth, international student experiences, and much more. Each episode features one or two guests, often college students or early career professionals, who share their experiences and advice with listeners.

One of the greatest benefits of being a part of a team is the opportunity to network and build connections. Incidentally, this has become one of the greatest challenges as jobs, internships, and other organizations moved to the virtual — and isolated — workspace.

Finding and nurturing connections with cool people is one of the most effective strategies to explore your professional possibilities and develop your future. Virtual internships offer their fair share of perks, but perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of going all-virtual is the lack of social interaction with coworkers. The typical image of what networking entails involves waving down people in the hall, grabbing a coffee together, or attending a lunch event. What does networking at work look like when you’re at home, surrounded by pets, family, and other unpredictable elements? How do you meet cool coworkers organically if you’re not in the same room?

Finding and nurturing connections with cool people is one of the most effective strategies to explore your professional possibilities and develop your future. Virtual internships offer their fair share of perks, but perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of going all-virtual is the lack of social interaction with coworkers. The typical image of what networking entails involves waving down people in the hall, grabbing a coffee together, or attending a lunch event. What does networking at work look like when you’re at home, surrounded by pets, family, and other unpredictable elements? How do you meet cool coworkers organically if you’re not in the same room?

Summer. The best season of the year. That is, unless you’re drowning in the pressures to find something productive, life-altering, or incredibly meaningful to do with your few months off from school (or permanent graduation from school!), as college students everywhere have been doing relentlessly. Even as many schools end this month, not everyone has been successful in their search for a job or internship, and unfortunately this is often due to factors beyond our control.

Not your typical spring. We have a bit more to think about than flower blossoms and allergies.

We’re more than a year into a global pandemic.

And as you know, stress levels are high.

Ah, humans. For some, prepping for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day — thank you, Leslie Knope) is a lot of effort, planning ahead, and gifting. Lots of gifting. For others, it’s just another day. And for a select few, it’s a day full of resentment — Love? Pfft. You know who you are.

According to Google, a mentor is defined as “an experienced and trusted advisor”. But when I initially started my search for a mentor in college, I defined them more so as any of the following:

• “a person who not only knows all, but who I would burden with my lack of knowledge”.

• “an individual who felt bad that I knew so little that they agreed to mentor me”.

• “a person who could be spending their time on literally anything else and that ‘anything else’ would be way more fun than chatting with me”.

Sometimes, the job search gets a little dark.

Not like the thrilling murder mystery you’ve been devouring in your free time, but more like a dense and dangerous fog that leaves you stuck without a visible destination. This is a darkness that comes from within: your innermost insecurities and negative thoughts about the job search.

It’s that time of the year again: the season of caramel apples, cozy sweaters, colorful leaves, and collecting your nerves for the frenzy of job applications and interviews. As if online classes weren’t enough to keep us glued to the screen everyday, many college students, especially juniors and seniors, are settling into an almost daily routine of searching for the next internship or job opportunity.

Job searching is a behemoth of a task for a student, and any student who dares to take it on is already a fighter. To fellow students who are spending hours polishing applications, networking, interview prepping, and learning in-demand skills, only to be handed 20+ automated rejection emails — I feel you.